By AliCanary in Personal February 21, 2015, 5:44 AM 21-02-15

Hit and Run Crime at the Laundromat!

In Part Three of my "washing machine saga", http://personapaper.com/article/24544-can-you-believe-another-washing-machine-broke , the story of the broken washing machine continued when I found out yet ANOTHER washing machine that I thought I could use had its own issues, and therefore I was obliged to go to the laundromat, which I had been trying to avoid doing, even though it is quite nearby my house. I left the afghans hanging to dry at the little house and took the load of clothes to the laundromat near my neighborhood.

When I got there, I parked facing the front of the laundromat, put my sunshade over the windshield, and started getting quarters out of my change holder in the car. I could see around the side of the sunshade, and during the few minutes I was sitting in the car, getting quarters together, I saw a taxicab pull up to the front of the laundromat. When he pulled into a parking space, he cut too closely next to a red car that was parked there, and he scraped the back corner of the red car REALLY badly.

As soon as I saw this happen, I felt like I should start writing things down. I always carry a pen in my car, and I happened to have some mail that I just picked up, so I grabbed an envelope and started writing on the back. I wrote down the license plate number, the vehicle's company number, the name and phone number of the taxi company that was on the door, and even a description of the driver.

How did I get a description of the driver? Because when he hit the car, he got out and walked around and looked and saw all the damage he had caused, and then he backed out, scraping the red car even WORSE, and he drove away! He should have gone inside and found the owner of the red car, apologized and given insurance information, but clearly he was afraid he would lose his job. So instead of reporting the accident, he committed a crime by fleeing the scene.

But he didn't know I was sitting right there, watching the whole thing.

I had my quarters by then, so I walked into the laundromat. There were a couple of African ladies sitting near the door, and I asked if they owned the red car. One of them said yes, so I said, “I have some bad news, but I have some good news. The bad news is that a taxi just came here and scraped the hell out of your car.” I let her absorb that for a second. “The good news is that I saw the whole thing and wrote it all down,” I continued.

So we called the police to come because I could be a witness and give them all the information. The ladies were upset to see that the car was hit, but the owner was relieved and happy that I could help, and she thanked me over and over and gave me a big hug. I told her I was only there because my washing machine at home broke, but my bad luck was her good luck, since I was there to help when she needed it!

The policeman who showed up was very cool, and he was impressed by all the information I'd gathered. It was everything he needed, he said, and he called the cab company. They made the driver return to the scene, and the owner of the cab company came, too. I doubt that guy still has a job, and now he probably has a very expensive ticket to pay, as well.

I actually got my laundry done, too!

FOPP